Countdown of Jeep's best concepts
Annual showcase of trucks and SUVs cancelled this year, but past creations worth another look
Every year, the gearheads working at Jeep are given a bit of slack on the corporate leash and tasked with creating a truckload of concept trucks and SUVs. Built in time for the annual Easter Jeep Safari, held in Moab, Utah, these rigs are a love letter to the brand's broad fan base. Some of the concepts are total flights of fancy while others are production ready, or showcasing the wide array of accessories in the Jeep catalogue.
Every year except this year, that is. Thanks to various COVID-19-related restrictions and cancellations, the 2020 soiree was binned, with hope of returning in 2021 with an extra helping of concept Jeeps.
Despite this upheaval, the crew at Mopar did assemble at least one concept.
Called the Farout, it's a Gladiator pickup truck built with overlanding in mind, plus the ability to take its occupants far off the beaten path. It showcases the truck's new EcoDiesel engine, has a two-inch lift, and wears knobby 37-inch tires.
Suffering withdrawal from the lack of Moab dirt in our shoes this year, we've assembled what we feel are some of the best Easter Jeep Safari concepts from the past few years.
M-715 FIVE-QUARTER
The brand has a solid history of trotting out resto-mods at Moab, and this M-715 Five-Quarter is one of the best. Building on the Crew Chief 715 concept of 2016, this mad machine is a great blend of vintage and modern components.
Starting with an actual 1968 M-715, this Gladiator-based military vehicle binned its original front sheet metal in favour of a full carbon-fibre front end. That bobbed bed is all new and its convertible top was chopped 3.5 inches.
Underneath, the front axle was pulled forward two inches and replaced with a Dynatrac Pro-rock 60, while a Dynatrac Pro-rock 80 axle was hung out in the rear, and huge 20-inch beadlock wheels are wrapped with large 40-inch tires.
GRAND CHEROKEE TRAIL WARRIOR
Back in 2014, Jeep stuffed a Quadra-Lift air suspension underneath a then-new EcoDiesel Grand Cherokee. This jacked the GC skyward, helped along by prototype 20-inch cast aluminum wheels rolling on aggressive BFGoodrich All-Terrains.
Also on board were tow hooks and rock rails from the Jeep Performance Parts catalogue, plus a righteous rooftop carrier that predates the now-popular overlanding craze. This unique Grand Cherokee features a 44:1 crawl ratio.
GRAND ONE
This beauty celebrated the Grand Cherokee's 25th anniversary with a modernized spin on a classic 1993 ZJ. For better or worse, it does retain the 5.2-litre V-8 engine and four-speed automatic. But check out the custom 18-inch lace-style wheels, high-clearance fender flares, trimmed fascias, and that tremendous “ghosted” wood-grain treatment on the body sides. Any Jeep fan who put down roots in the '90s will recognize those details.
Along for the ride are 33- inch BF Good rich Mud-Terrain KM2 tires, front and rear axles equipped with selectable locking differentials, and a two-inch suspension lift. Jeep also says the wheelbase was altered, but details on that are scant.
QUICKSAND
Showing up in the same year as the Grand One is this fast and fun hot rod. It's powered by a Mopar 392 Hemi with eight-stack injection, mated to a six-speed Getrag manual transmission. A cutout in the hood and gas-ser-style downturned open headers add to the vintage hot-rod feel.
This Wrangler-based concept featured a longer wheelbase, with trimmed front and rear body and a chopped hard top and windshield. Slung underneath was a staggered tire setup (a trait never before included on any Jeep concept) featuring 32-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tires in the front but 37-inchers in the rear. And that front-mounted Moon tank conceals a Warn winch.
WAGONEER ROADTRIP
Making its 2018 debut in Moab was this too-cool concept hewn from the bones of a 1965 Jeep Wagoneer. Seeking to capitalize on rumours of upcoming Grand Wagoneer production, this concept was stretched five inches and had a 5.7-L V-8 stuffed under its subtly tweaked hood.
Underneath, off-road bits included a pair of Dana 44 axles stout enough to storm any castle gate, and a set of 33-inch mud terrains on retro-inspired 17-inch wheels.
Eagle-eyed Jeep fans will note the front grille was hauled from a 1966-1969 Wagoneer, used simply because the builders preferred its look to that of the tombstone-like 1965 edition. We can't argue.
WRANGLER PORK CHOP
Engineers basically attacked a Wrangler with an axe and angle grinder to start this concept, removing as much unnecessary weight as possible. Gone were standard components such as the doors, tailgate, bumpers, and carpeting. Essentially, if it didn't make the Jeep go or
stop, it was removed.
They then went to work creating a custom lightweight roll cage, one-off rear-end bodywork that was so clean it looked production ready, then added liberal sprinklings of aluminum and carbon fibre. In all, the concept weighed 800 pounds less than a stock Wrangler. A two-inch suspension lift was added, but if you think the rig looks higher than that, you're right: the weight-reducing program
produced a two-inch lift all on its own, making for a total of four extra inches in stature. With all these changes, there was plenty of room for 35-inch Mickey Thompson tires at each corner.
WRANGLER JK-8 INDEPENDENCE
Diehards had been crying for a Jeep pickup truck for ages by the time this concept showed up in 2011. Hearing
their requests, but not yet in a position to build what would eventually become today's Gladiator, Mopar designed a kit for do-it-yourselfers that converted a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited into a pickup truck.
Taking cues from the popular Jeep Scrambler CJ-8 of the 1980s, the team created body panels to cover the backside doors and, naturally, binned all associated interior parts behind the front seats. This transformed a JKU into a twoseater
with a pickup-style bed to be used for cargo. I have seen one of these things close up and, in the right hands, this kit can produce a machine that looks like it rolled out of the factory in Toledo.
FC 150
There's not a chance in Moab we'd assemble this list without including the wild FC 150. Originally built from the mid-1950s to mid-1960s, the original FC (forward control) was based on the CJ but placed seating right atop the front axle. This concept used an original FC body married to all-new underpinnings taken from a 2005 Wrangler. The chassis from that donor vehicle was modified to accept a Dana 44 front and Dana 60 rear axles, plus wonderfully retro 17-inch white steel wheels wrapped in modern BFGoodrich KM2 mud-terrains.
TRAILCAT
This lime-green beast from 2016 enjoyed itself to a full helping of 707 hp, thanks to the installation of a 6.2-L supercharged Hemi Hellcat V8 between its fenders.
Fitting the engine was more of a task than simply undoing a few bolts. The Jeep's wheelbase was stretched, and the windshield was altered. Bumpers, beadlocks, Dana 60s, and massive tires round out the package. And, yes, those are front seats from a Viper.